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"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; and God is
faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able; but with
temptation, will make the issue (`end', Heb. 13: 7) that you may be able to bear it."
The reader should now ponder the parallel teaching of Heb. 3: and 4: In
conjunction with this section of I Cor. We do not think it likely that any reader of
The Berean Expositor will be found boasting, where Paul himself spoke with humble
uncertainty.
It is important that every word in this passage (Phil. 3:) should be given due
consideration, we will therefore not conclude this article before noticing the word
"attain". It is not the same as is used in the original of verse 12, and we must give each
separate word its right place and meaning. The word "attain" in Phil. 3: 11 is katantaġ,
to come, arrive, "then came he to Derbe", "he came to Ephesus", etc., etc., using the
word in its primary significance, namely, that of arriving at the end of a journey. It is
used in Acts 26: 7 in reference to the hope of arriving at the promise made to the
fathers, and in Eph. 4: 13 of coming unto the unity of the faith. We must keep these
few words of explanation in mind as we proceed.
Some reader may be anxiously waiting to interpose, But do you mean to say that Paul
entertained any doubts as to arriving at the resurrection of the dead? So much depends
upon the true understanding of the words, "The resurrection of the dead", that we refrain
from saying more until the passage can be considered in our next article.
The "out-resurrection" (Phil. 3: 11).
pp. 185-189
We saw sufficient in our previous article to realize that the words, "if by any means",
and "not as though I had already attained", left room for uncertainty of attainment. What
was it that the apostle was not certain that he would attain? The A.V. says, "the
resurrection of the dead". This is so utterly opposed to the whole teaching of Scripture
that every reader will agree that something more than appears upon the surface must be
the meaning of this deep and difficult passage. In order to arrive at the meaning of the
apostle, we must consider carefully and at some length the various expressions that are
used concerning the resurrection, considering in every case the exact wording of the
original. Commencing at the simplest expression of all, we note the words anastasis
nekrġn. In Acts 23: 6 Paul says:--
"Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope and resurrection of the
dead I am called in question".
We can safely say, from the earlier verses of Phil. 3:, that Paul was not anxiously
striving to attain to that which was his hope when an unconverted Pharisee.
Mark 9: 9, 10 depends for its true understanding upon the recognition of a small word